I. There are
no indications that combating migrant smuggling contributes to
the restoration of international peace and security or to ending
the ongoing humanitarian crises;
II. Without express consent from third states or authorization
from the UN Security Council, the EU lacks jurisdiction over
vessels or assets in third-country territorial waters;
III. Without express consent from third-country coastal states
or authorization from the UN Security Council, there is no clear
legal basis for coercive measures against vessels or assets on
the high seas

"The
billions spent on the militarisation of border controls over
the past years have been a waste of taxpayers' money. As we are
able to witness during the current 'refugee crisis', increasing
border controls have not stopped asylum seekers and other migrants
from crossing borders. As experience and research has made abundantly
clear, they have mainly (1) diverted migration to other crossing
points, (2) made migrants more dependent on smuggling, and (3)
increased the costs and risks of crossing borders. The fact is
that 25 years of militarising border controls in Europe have
only worsened the problems they proclaim to prevent....

Europe's immigration
policies have created a huge market for the private companies
implementing these policies as well as smugglers... a multi-billion
industry, which has huge commercial interest in making the public
believe that migration is an essential threat and that border
controls will somehow solve this threat."

News (25.9.15)

Loss of hope and deepening poverty driving Syrians
to seek refuge in Europe (UNHCR, link): "The UN refugee
agency today identified loss of hope and appalling living conditions
as major factors behind the recent spike in the number of Syrian
refugees from the region seeking asylum in Europe. Around four
million Syrian refugees are currently living in neighbouring
countries, but recent months have seen a marked increase in the
number of those seeking refuge further afield, notably in Europe.
Amin Awad, Director UNHCR Bureau for Middle East and North Africa,
said this was primarily because of a loss of hope of being able
to return home and deteriorating living conditions in the countries
where Syrian refugees are currently living. "Refugees face
horrible living conditions, and restrictions in the legal regimes
for refugees in the countries where they live When people
don't have proper shelter and are living on 45 cents a day of
course they want to move," he told a press briefing in Geneva,
adding: "Syrians are checking out from the neighbouring
countries.""

Six EU states slash food aid for Syria
refugees
(euobserver, link):"Every member state, except the Netherlands,
has slashed contributions to the World Food Progamme (WFP) in
2015.... Austria, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, and Slovakia
made the most drastic cuts. All sliced their contributions by
100 percent this year, compared to last year. Swedens contribution
dropped by 95 percent, followed by Lithuania at 69.5 percent,
and Belgium at 54.7 percent. The UK also dropped by 29.5 percent.
Others like Croatia, Latvia, Poland, and Romania gave nothing
in the past two years. The Netherlands stands alone as the only
member state, at plus 5.8 percent, which has increased contributions."

EU navies to start capturing smugglers from 7 October (euobserver, link):
"EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said on
Thursday (24 September) the EU naval operation in the Mediterranean
Sea is to start capturing smugglers from 7 October. "The
political decision has been taken, the assets are ready",
she said, according to the AFP news agency. "We'll be able
to board, search, seize vessels in international waters, [and]
suspected smugglers and traffickers apprehended will be transferred
to the Italian judicial authorities."... EUnavfor Med
is to operate primarily on the Libya route" [emphasis
added]

Finland split over biggest refugee influx
since Russian Revolution (Yahoo News, link): "Finland
is experiencing its biggest influx of refugees since the Russian
Revolution with hundreds of migrants arriving each day via Sweden,
but their presence is angering some in the recession-hit country.
Finland, whose Lapland steppe forms the European Union's northernmost
border, expects to receive 25,000 to 30,000 asylum applications
this year, compared to 3,600 in 2014. Most of those arriving
are from Iraq, Somalia or Afghanistan."

Refugees raise far-right threat: Norway
intel (The
Local.no, link): "The biggest risk posed to Norway's
national security by the influx of migrants is a possible violent
reaction from the far-right, and not the infiltration of Islamists,
Norway's intelligence service said Thursday."

Group of 115 refugees to be moved from
Alonissos to Volos (ekathimerini.com, link): "A total of
115 Syrian refugees who were abandoned on Thursday on an uninhabited
islet north of Alonissos, one of the islands in the Sporades
group, were recovering in a gymnasium on the island on Friday."

Tensions between Croatia and Serbia rise
over refugees
(aljazeera.com, link): "Serbia bans Croatian imports
after Zagreb's decision to close shared border in attempt to
halt entry of refugees" and Serbia
and Croatia Maintain Border Blockade (BalkanInsight, link): "After
the dispute over the flow of the refugees escalated into a border
dispute between the two countries, Croatia on Friday continued
to block freight and some passenger traffic from Serbia while
Belgrade still did not allow freight transport from Croatia to
enter. Both countries said they were ready to compromise but
there were no signs that the blockades on the border crossings
would end soon."

Austria returns 5000 migrants to EU countries (The Local.at, link):
"Speaking to journalists at a meeting in Germany with
the Bavarian Christian Social Union party, Interior Minister
Johanna Mikl-Leitner said: If I remember rightly, we have
sent more than 5,000 or 5,500 back from Austria, especially to
Bulgaria and Romania amongst others."

Hungary working against human rights
 Hammar
(Budapest Beacon, link)"Hungary is working against
the human rights that are the foundation of the European Union.
Without immigrants we wouldnt have the social system
we have today. We need differences, complexities, and one another
to build society for the future. - Karl Gustav Hilding
Hammar, former Archbishop of Sweden

Sweden to 'urgently review' asylum policies (The Local.se, link):
"Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has called
for an "urgent review" to help tackle a sharp rise
in the number of asylum seekers arriving in the Nordic country."

Bulgaria Calls on Croatia to Reopen Checkpoint
at Border with Serbia (novinite.com, link): "Bulgaria pleaded
with Croatia on Friday to immediately open the Bajakovo crossing
at the border with Serbia to Bulgarian-registered motor vehicles
or redirect them to other operating checkpoints. During a meeting
with Croatias Ambassador Ljerka Alajbeg, the Bulgarian
side expressed its serious concern over the closure of border
crossings between Croatia and Serbia, the Foreign Ministry in
Sofia said in a statement."

Migrants feared missing off Greece's
Kos island
(ekathimerini.com, link): "The Greek coastguard on Friday
said it was looking for seven migrants feared missing near the
Aegean island of Kos, after rescuing 115 Syrians in a separate
incident. The search began after a migrant plucked from the Aegean
Sea by a fishing boat told rescuers there had been another seven
people on a boat that overturned."

&COPY; Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X.
Personal usage as private individuals/"fair dealing"
is allowed. We also welcome links to material on our site. Usage
by those working for organisations is allowed only if the organisation
holds an appropriate licence from the relevant reprographic rights
organisation (eg: Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK) with
such usage being subject to the terms and conditions of that
licence and to local copyright law.